Thoughts on culture and events by author and illustrator Christopher R Taylor

Thursday, June 28, 2012

GUNN IT

Martha Harrington: Mrs. Harrington. People say you're for hire.Peter Gunn: Anything within reason.Martha Harrington: What about murder?Peter Gunn: That doesn't sound very reasonable.

Need a break from politics? I have something you might enjoy, and you probably already know the song. Even if you haven't ever seen a single show, you likely know the theme song to Peter Gunn. Written by Henry Mancini and used in the video game "Spy Hunter," Peter Gunn's theme is one of those classic songs with a driving repetative beat and killer horns that fits any nostalgic cool video setting. Bands like Duane Eddy, Brian Setzer Orchestra (in a medley), and even the Blues Brothers have played this song and its pretty familiar to most people.

Peter Gunn is basically a mercenary, a gun for hire that works the mean streets of an unknown town. He loves jazz, he is cool as dry ice, and is deadly. He's not so much a private eye or a hero as a very dangerous, hardcore guy who will help you if you are in need, and doesn't care very much how he gets the job done, as long as its for the right cause.

And you can watch his show online. The Peter Gunn TV show ran from 1958 to 1961, and every episode is available on YouTube (for now), thanks to the Sagacioius Iconoclast. Each episode is about a half hour long, and has babes, booze, jazz, guns, and tough guys aplenty. Here's the first episode:

Someone tried to bring Gunn back in 1989 but it just didn't work. Supposedly John Woo and Paramount started work on a movie version but that has been stalled for over a decade. Some ideas only work in their original setting. Incidentally, Sagacious Iconoclast has a lot of other shows compiled, such as Car 54, Where Are You? and Are You Being Served? If you have some time to kill and want to just forget about life and its troubles for a while.